I know this is basic stuff, but does the electrolysis of water produce oxygen and hydrogen, or hydrogen and OH-. Or are they the same thing?

it produces 2 parts Hydrogen and 1 part Oxygen

YT2095 said in post # :

it produces 2 parts Hydrogen and 1 part Oxygen

 

so therefore it would produce oxygen and hydrogen gas right?

That's right.

can anyone explain why the water turns yellow after electroylsis??

You would have to specify what you used for electrodes and what you used to make the water conductive.

I used two paper clips and nothing as the water condcutor.

can anyone explain why the water turns yellow after electroylsis??

 

If there was any sulfuric acid in the water it would tend to turn yellow when the acid decomposed.

well, you probably used sodium chloride as electrolyde to made water a conductor. So, when you electrolyse the water, sodium ions comes together with the two electrolites, paper clips for example. The actual substance which turns the water yellow is cloride ions.

Yellow color is probably due of iron or nickel ions that go into solution from those paper clips. In fact you can completely dissolve your anode this way.

you just succesfully made Rust

does anyone know why the water turn green when i do electrolysis with sodium chloride solution? is it chlorine? by the way whats produced when i do electrolysis to sodium chloride solution? i know one is hydrogen gas, but whats the other?

The word chlorine comes from chloros, which means "green." So maybe it's the chlorine. Poisonous, BTW, as a gas.

ay, all halogens attack your mucous membranes causing you to drown in your mucous and blood.

As I understand, the chemical equation of electrolysis is:

 

2 H2O -> O2 + 2 H2

 

and 4 OH- -> O2 + 2 H2O + 4e- at the anode.

 

My question is, are the 4 electrons taken back up by the anode or do they float freely? Is heat created by the reaction?

well, you probably used sodium chloride as electrolyde to made water a conductor. So, when you electrolyse the water, sodium ions comes together with the two electrolites, paper clips for example. The actual substance which turns the water yellow is cloride ions.

 

 

Halogen ions are 100% completely colorless. They do not, and cannot, produce any color. So I think you mean aqueous elemental chlorine.

 

When you electrolyze a solution of NaCl, you produce sodium hydroxide, hydrogen gas, chlorine gas, and teency, tiny amount of oxygen gas.